Corruption, inflation, unemployment and what not, we have already had enough of these core issues which would decide the fate of politicians in the upcoming Himachal Pradesh Elections. However, when it comes to Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency, dilapidated road condition has always been the decisive factor. So, none of the big parties, i.e. the BJP and Congress would like to leave any stone unturned to gain from the controversy building up around the Theog-Kotkhai-Hatkoti-Rohru road and a tunnel near Khada Patthar.
In the election eve, Congress leaders from Jubbal-Kotkhai are targeting BJP leader and accusing him for the present mess of the region. They claimed that when Virbhadra Singh led government was in power; it conducted a DPR& Geological Survey and accordingly, finalized a budget plan of INR 246 crores for the Khada Patthar and six other tunnels in Himachal Pradesh. Later, when BJP came to power, the Dhumal government canceled any such plans. Despite knowing the fact that the tunnel would provide All Weather Connectivity to upper Shimla region, the government did everything it could to discontinue the process initiated by Virbhadra Singh’s Congress-led government. The fund for other six tunnels, however, was sanctioned without much ado.
Later, the sitting MLA, Mr. Rohit Thakur publicized the issue and brought the truth to the surface. He raised the issue in Vidhan Sabha and on other several stages which led the BJP government to include the Khada Patthar tunnel in the finalized list of six (now seven) proposed tunnels.
So, finally, while the BJP takes all the credit for doing developmental works in the upper Shimla region (Jubbal-Kotkhai especially), facts don’t support its claims.
